Hymn Before Action
The earth is full of anger,The seas are dark with wrath,The Nations in their harnessGo up against our path:Ere yet we loose the legions --Ere yet we draw the blade,Jehovah of the Thunders,Lord God of Battles, aid!
High lust and froward bearing,Proud heart, rebellious brow --Deaf ear and soul uncaring,We seek Thy mercy now!The sinner that forswore Thee,The fool that passed Thee by,Our times are known before Thee --Lord, grant us strength to die!
For those who kneel beside usAt altars not Thine own,Who lack the lights that guide us,Lord, let their faith atone.If wrong we did to call them,By honour bound they came;Let not Thy Wrath befall them,But deal to us the blame.
From panic, pride, and terror,Revenge that knows no rein,Light haste and lawless error,Protect us yet again.Cloak Thou our undeserving,Make firm the shuddering breath,In silence and unswervingTo taste Thy lesser death!
Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow,Remember, reach and saveThe soul that comes to-morrowBefore the God that gave!Since each was born of woman,For each at utter need --True comrade and true foeman --Madonna, intercede!
E'en now their vanguard gathers,E'en now we face the fray --As Thou didst help our fathers,Help Thou our host to-day!Fulfilled of signs and wonders,In life, in death made clear --Jehovah of the Thunders,Lord God of Battles, hear!
Words in this poem
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- rebellious a.
- Engaged in rebellion; disposed to rebel of the nature of rebels or of rebellion; resisting government or lawful authority by force.
- sinner n.
- One who has sinned; especially, one who has sinned without repenting; hence, a persistent and incorrigible transgressor; one condemned by the law of God.
- kneel v. i.
- To bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; -- sometimes with down. [OE. knelen, cneolien; akin to D. knielen, Dan. knæle. See Knee.]
- atone v. t.
- To set at one; to reduce to concord; to reconcile, as parties at variance; to appease.
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- foeman n.
- An enemy in war. [AS. fhman.]
- madonna n.
- My lady; -- a term of address in Italian formerly used as the equivalent of Madame, but for which Signora is now substituted. [It. madonna my lady. See Dame, Donna, and cf. Madame, Monkey.]
- intercede v. i.
- To pass between; to intervene. [L. intercedere, intercessum; inter between + cedere to pass: cf. F. intercéder. See Cede.]
- vanguard n.
- The troops who march in front of an army; the advance guard; the van. [For vantguard, avantguard, F. avant-garde; avant before, fore + garde guard. See Avant, Ab-,Ante-, and Guard, and cf. Advance, Vamp, Van of an army, Vaward.]
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hymn Before Action is in the public domain. This text is taken from Verses 1889-1896, Project Gutenberg ebook #323; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Rudyard Kipling, Hymn Before Action, in Verses 1889–1896 (1889–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #323, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-verses/hymn-before-action.html, id L16824.
Form and metre
Hymn Before Action is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 3 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.7 syllables. 18 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 10% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A-A-B-B anger · wrathA · harness · pathA · legions · bladeB · thunders · aidB
- 2 ABABCDCD bearingA · browB · uncaringA · nowB · theeC · byD · theeC · dieD
- 3 ABABCDCD usA · ownB · usA · atoneB · themC · cameD · themC · blameD
- 4 ABABCDCD terrorA · reinB · errorA · againB · undeservingC · breathD · unswervingC · deathD
- 5 ABAB-C-C sorrowA · saveB · morrowA · gaveB · woman · needC · foeman · intercedeC
- 6 -A-ABCBC gathers · frayA · fathers · dayA · wondersB · clearC · thundersB · hearC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The earth is full of anger, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The seas are dark with wrath, | 6 | ······ |
| The Nations in their harness | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Go up against our path: | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Ere yet we loose the legions -- | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Ere yet we draw the blade, | 6 | ······ |
| Jehovah of the Thunders, | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| Lord God of Battles, aid! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| High lust and froward bearing, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Proud heart, rebellious brow -- | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Deaf ear and soul uncaring, | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| We seek Thy mercy now! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The sinner that forswore Thee, | 7 | ·/˘·˘/· |
| The fool that passed Thee by, | 7 | ····˘·· |
| Our times are known before Thee -- | 8 | /˘······ |
| Lord, grant us strength to die! | 6 | ······ |
| For those who kneel beside us | 7 | ····˘/· |
| At altars not Thine own, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Who lack the lights that guide us, | 7 | ······· |
| Lord, let their faith atone. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| If wrong we did to call them, | 7 | ······· |
| By honour bound they came; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Let not Thy Wrath befall them, | 7 | ····˘/· |
| But deal to us the blame. | 6 | ······ |
| From panic, pride, and terror, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Revenge that knows no rein, | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Light haste and lawless error, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Protect us yet again. | 6 | ˘/··˘/ |
| Cloak Thou our undeserving, | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Make firm the shuddering breath, | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| In silence and unswerving | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| To taste Thy lesser death! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow, | 8 | ·/˘·˘·/˘ |
| Remember, reach and save | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| The soul that comes to-morrow | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Before the God that gave! | 6 | ······ |
| Since each was born of woman, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| For each at utter need -- | 6 | ···/˘· |
| True comrade and true foeman -- | 7 | ·/···/˘ |
| Madonna, intercede! | 6 | ˘/˘·˘/ |
| E'en now their vanguard gathers, | 7 | ···/·/˘ |
| E'en now we face the fray -- | 6 | ······ |
| As Thou didst help our fathers, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Help Thou our host to-day! | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Fulfilled of signs and wonders, | 8 | ˘/˘···/˘ |
| In life, in death made clear -- | 6 | ······ |
| Jehovah of the Thunders, | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| Lord God of Battles, hear! | 6 | ···/˘· |
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